‘A fiction film on my life would not have worked’

“But I am not going to act,” was Sachin Tendulkar’s response when he was approached for a biopic and the cricket legend concedes that it took him a while to accept the idea of a film on his life.

Fiercely protective of his privacy despite becoming a public figure in his teenage, it was not easy for Tendulkar to open up for the biopic which is now ready for release.

In the making for almost five years, ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ by British filmmaker James Erskine is all set for a worldwide release on May 26.

“When Ravi (Bhagchandka, producer) met me in 2012, his idea was that the life of other sports personalities have been covered so there should be a film on my life. My first reply was: ‘But I am not going to act’. It took me a while to say yes,” Tendulkar told PTI in an interview here.

Sports biopics are in vogue in Bollywood thanks to the success of ‘Mary Kom’, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’ but Tendulkar believes fictionalising his life would not have worked.

“In my case it (fiction) cannot be possible because everything is real life. Everyone knows what has happened to me. If I have scored 55 runs, people know that. I cannot turn around and make it 155. Ravi said everything would be captured from real life. So, I was convinced that there would be no retakes here.”

The cricketer, also called the ‘Master Blaster’ by fans for his exquisite batting, says he finds the idea of talking about himself “uncomfortable” but the film helped him relive some of the most crucial moments in Indian cricket.

“I continue to be slightly uncomfortable (to talk about myself). That’s why I have got other guys to talk about me. I always wanted to play cricket for India. Rest of the things happened around it. And when I got there, it was about winning the World Cup for India.

“This film is about that. It is about chasing my dreams. My dream was not only my dream, it was a dream shared by a billion plus people.”

“This was not something that every sportsman experienced. Whatever I have said, whatever I know, it is there for everyone to see in the film.”

“Sachin: A Billion Dreams”, will have some of the cricketing legend’s “private personal videos”, which only his family has had access to till now.

“What we’ve been able to add are my private personal videos, which nobody has access to except the family. I discussed it with my family and asked ‘Are we ok sharing this?’, because all my well-wishers would want to see something more than what happened for 24 years on the field,” Tendulkar said.